The present invention relates to a brassica vegetable concentrate and supplement containing high levels of sulforaphane and minimal levels of sulforaphane-nitrile and the method of making it.
Although consumers are increasingly more aware of the relationship of brassica vegetables to health and disease, many people don't reap these benefits because they don't like the taste of the vegetables or they find them cumbersome to eat. Broccoli, as well as other brassica vegetables, may be helpful in fighting disease because they contain glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are converted to isothiocyaniates, such as sulforaphane, by myrosinase enzymes, a group of enzymes that are naturally present in brassica vegetables. Sulforaphane and other isothiocyanates help the body to fight disease by inducing a group of enzymes capable of detoxifying carcinogens in the body.
Unfortunately for consumers, myrosinase enzymes contact the giucosinolate when the cells of the brassica vegetable are disrupted such as by chewing or milling. Therefore, those consumers who don't like the taste of broccoli, yet don't want to pass up its health benefits, must force themselves to eat something they don't like. In addition, glucosinolates can also be converted by miyrosinase enzymes into nitriles Such as sulforaphane-nitrile, non-nuitrients that are contraindicated for health. Therefore, there is a need for a brassica supplement that has high levels of sulforaphane but low levels of sulforaphane-nitrile.
At the present time, a suitable brassica vegetable supplement or concentrate is not available. Typically, prior art brassica tablets, such as broccoli tablets, are made by dehydrating the fresh vegetable, grinding the vegetable into a powder form and thereafter forming a tablet or supplement. High temperature dehydration, however, inactivates the endogenous (naturally present) myrosinase enzymes. Consequently, it is hypothesized that when the supplement is ingested, the conversion of the glucosiniolates to isothiocyanates cannot occur via the aforementioned plant pathway. It has also been suggested to make brassica tablets by freeze-drying the vegetable. In this method, the endogenous myrosinase enzymes are not inactivated in the final product. However, the enzymes contained in the tablet are not active at the low pH of stomach acids (when the supplement is swallowed before it can convert the glucosinolates into isothiocyanates).
A process that produces a brassica vegetable supplement or concentrate with high levels of sulforaphane and minimal sulforaphane-nitrile is desired. Such a process should maximize the conversion of the parent glucosiniolates (gluocoraphanin) to sulforaphane while minimizing the presence of sulforaphane-nitrile. Therefore, the resulting supplement or concentrate must contain preformed sulforaphane in lieu of the parent glucosinolate and corresponding myrosinase enzymes where conversion is subject to environmental conditions.